Low Input Manual

Feb 26

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In 2005, Stacia was contacted by the World Food Programme (WFP) in Malawi to consult on a project that would begin to assist relief and donor agencies to look beyond food aid and start focusing on sustainable food programmes. As food insecurity and malnutrition have become chronic problems in Malawi, so too have shipments of food aid (usually in the form of maize). In many instances of extreme shortages or disasters, this type of aid can mean the difference between life and death, but even in these situations it remains only a temporary solution. The true solutions to Malawi’s food and nutrition security problems lie with the people themselves and the agricultural systems that they are using to feed themselves.

In response to these problems, and the call by many for a more sustainable future for Malawi, Stacia worked with a team of people to compile the Low Input Food and Nutrition Manual…Growing and Eating More Using Less. This manual is a culmination of the work that she and her husband, Kristof, have done over their ten years in Malawi on the issues of nutrition and sustainable agriculture (especially Permaculture). This manual is currently being used by the WFPs partners in Nutritional Rehabilitation Units, schools, and various HIV/AIDS programmes. It is also the model that is being used by Malawi’s Ministry of Education for thier school gardening/feeding project that is aiming to get Permaculture integrated into over 5,000 primary schools throughout the country. To date, close to 5000 copies of the manual have been printed with plans for an additional printing of 20,000-30,000 copies in the next year or two. So far, these printings have been supported by the World Food Programme and GTZ (a German Technical Agency).

The only restriction on the reprinting of this manual is that it be used for Non-Profit use only. We encourage organizations and individuals to print and use their own copies as needed. It is one of the main principles of Permaculture, “Observe, Learn, and SHARE!”. We would like to get this information out to as many people and groups as we can who are interested in applying Permaculture principles to their lives and in their work.

The Low Input Manual that has been broken into downloadable PDF sections for you to use and reprint as desired for non-profit use. These sections are still large, but we have tried to keep them all under 2mb in size. We hope that you find this information useful. The manual will eventually be revised after we receive enough feedback, suggestions, and ideas from those of you who are using it, so if you have any comments on how it can be improved please let us know at nordin@eomw.net